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Quebec Canal Wharf Resurfaced To Combat Flooding

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By NPT Staff - June 20th, 2021
Politicians join Parks Canada staff to inaugurate the new canal wharf.

Politicians join Parks Canada staff to inaugurate the new canal wharf/Parks Canada

The Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal National Historic Site has a new upstream wharf thanks to more than $4 million ($3.3 million USD) in government investments.

A regional tourist attraction in Quebec, the site features spaces for walks or relaxation and is the gateway to a waterway marked by more than 150 years of history.

But over the past decade, the upstream wharf has been affected by climate change and more frequent flooding has caused damage. The renewed wharf, which was inaugurated this week, has been resurfaced with concrete and wood inserts to better withstand spring freshets and flooding.

In recent years, the site has also undergone a facelift with the upstream wharf and lock restoration infrastructure projects. The site's layout and trails have been improved. New concrete benches mark the width and crossing of the first lock, and an engraved stone at the entrance to the wharf commemorates the dates of the first and second locks.

“The impacts of climate change on Parks Canada-administered sites are complex,” Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, said in a written statement. “(Parks Canada) is committed to incorporating climate change adaptation and mitigation measures into its work, as demonstrated by the completion of the major infrastructure project for Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal National Historic Site's upstream wharf. The project will help restore public access to this major attraction on the western part of the Island of Montreal. This is a significant benefit to local tourism and the many jobs that depend on the canal, while also part of sustainable tourism practices."

The wharf has been closed for repairs.

The wharf has been closed for repairs/Parks Canada


The canal is a gateway to the Ottawa River, a waterway that was once the main communications route to the north and the west. Today, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is part of a network of canals that boats can use to bypass natural obstacles like rapids and shoals on the St. Lawrence, Richelieu and Ottawa rivers.

The upstream wharf has been closed to the public since the fall of 2016. Rehabilitation had started but flooding in the spring of 2017 heavily damaged the wharf's structure and surface and forced Parks Canada to keep the wharf closed. Work resumed in May 2020.

Ottawa has invested $14 million ($11.5 million USD) in infrastructure work at the site.

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